


A Hundred Little Ways

by queenred_x3



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Au Ra Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Au Ra Xaela (Final Fantasy XIV), Lazy Mornings, M/M, Morning Cuddles, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:20:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22107718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenred_x3/pseuds/queenred_x3
Summary: Though their time in Norvrandt is fleeting, it's the quiet moment between battles that the two of them savor. In such a short amount of time, love runs deep and it's the little things that matter the most to men involved in a battle for the ages.
Relationships: Solus zos Galvus | Emet-Selch/Warrior of Light
Comments: 3
Kudos: 25





	1. 001 - Moments Like These

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Kohri and Emet-Selch are sleeping together. Kohri wakes up first and contemplates waking Emet-Selch up with a kiss. Kohri leans in only to hesitate centimeters away out of embarrassment. Emet-Selch opens their eyes and says, "Well if you won't do it, I will."

Though he was awake, the enveloping warmth made it hard for Kohri to open his eyes. One hand went to his face and carefully rubbed the sleep away while the other… Well, the other was wrapped around Emet-Selch, fast asleep with his cheek resting against the bare skin between his scales. It was with great difficulty that Kohri raised an eyelid but when he did, a smile crept across his lips.

It was the quiet moments like this one that he savored the most - intimate, soft, peaceful. It was easy for Kohri to forget that Norvrandt was not yet spared the threat of a rejoining, or that in his arms slept a sworn enemy whose higher calling was dedicated to halting his forward progress and wiping away the existence of all life throughout the worlds. Instead, he savored the way Emet felt, the way he melded into him in weightless comfort and the way their warmth combined to soothe them in a way that not even the softest bedding could ever achieve. It was a feeling that he had long forgotten but now that it was his again, Kohri never wanted to let go.

Gods willing, today would be a relaxing day. Vauthry and the Eulmorian army had yet to force their hand and preliminary scouting missions yielded no results as to the location of the Lightwarden in Amh Araeng. And the Scions’ vaunted foe was here, fast asleep in his arms. In this moment, he was more a threat to his bedsheets than to this star.

Kohri’s eye fell shut once more and snaked both arms around Emet to squeeze him in a light embrace. He was careful not to let his scales scrape against his bare skin, lest he hurt or wake him. Opportunities like this were exceedingly rare where he could just _be_ in the moment.

He focused on his breathing, synchronizing it in time with Emet’s steady breaths, savored the way Emet’s arm draped across his chest and had a leg over his own. Even the way that Emet weighed against him was a welcome sensation, giving Kohri the blessed knowledge that he was not alone in his bed. Kohri’s eyes slowly opened and gently brushed away the white lock of hair that covered Emet’s face. It was incredible that he appeared to be so peaceful in his sleep, even more so knowing that he was in the same league as the chaotic Lahabrea, whose crazed convictions spelled certain doom without the Scions’ intervention.

Maybe Emet was right: there were more similarities than differences between the two of them. Or at least that’s what Kohri told himself. He would hate to have to end up fighting against Emet-Selch.

With great difficulty, Kohri scooted out from under Emet and hoped that his awkward movements didn’t wake him up. Once he was against the pillow, he clung to it and murmured discontentedly at the sudden absence of his firm body and warmth. He ran his fingers through Emet’s hair while he pensively stared out of the open window of his room. Soft morning sunlight drifted through and illuminated the dim room. He _could_ take off today, Kohri mused, and simply stay in bed all day with Emet… But the urge to get up and do something was too strong, his body too used to staying in motion more so than rest.

He looked down at Emet and let his fingers trace the frame of his face. If only the Ascian could _always_ stay this peaceful rather than an explosive antagonist in his waking life, Kohri would appreciate that very much… But then again, his volatile nature and sparks of passion was what ended up drawing Kohri in.

Though Emet had no reason to be awake, Kohri wished to spend more of his waking time with him and leaned down… But just as he was about to press a soft kiss to his cheek, Emet shifted a bit and murmured some more in his sleep. Startled, Kohri drew away, his own cheeks inexplicably heating up. Why was he hesitating? To give him a wake-up kiss was much more tame than the things they did previously. Hells, it was way more tame than the things they did just _last night_ , but something about an innocent kiss made Kohri flustered. He leaned over Emet and simply watched him for a few quiet moments more. His heart raced at just the mere thought of how soft his lips would feel against Emet’s cheek, their shared warmth, and just-

Gods damn it. What was wrong with him? Though his lips were a few ilms away from Emet’s cheek, he eventually ended up backing out of the kiss and turned away in shame. Gods, why was he like this? Just the thought of Emet waking up and smiling at him, sleep still swimming in his golden eyes as he caressed his cheek lovingly-

When Kohri returned his gaze to Emet, his eyes widened. Had Emet not wrapped his arms around his neck, he would have flung himself away in sheer surprise that he was now awake. “E-Emet! You’re awake! You… You’re…”

“Well, if you won’t do it, _I will_ ,” Emet murmured, his lips mere ilms away before he kissed him. Kohri returned the gesture once the shock wore off and followed him down to the bed. Emet’s fingers tangled into his hair and his legs wrapped around Kohri’s hips, intent on keeping him in bed with him. In kind, Kohri’s hand squeezed Emet’s hip while his other arm supported him above the pillow, his own hips grinding playfully.

Once Emet decided to release him, Kohri put some space between them. “You were awake?” he asked incredulously.

“Of course I was. I’ve been up for a while now but I was just resting is all,” Emet responded and toyed with a strand of hair that fell over Kohri’s shoulder. “Really now, I was waiting for my good morning kiss and everything but _nothing_ happened. I had to do all the work for that one.”

Kohri merely rolled his eyes and offered him a small smile as compensation for Emet’s exaggerated exertion. “Riiiiight. And how come _you_ didn’t give me one if you were already awake before me?” Given the way Emet’s cheeks lit up and the silence on his end, Kohri knew that he was in a similar predicament as he was earlier. “What’s the matter? Coeurl got your tongue?” He couldn’t resist teasing him with a wide grin to accompany his playful jape.

Emet huffed and averted his gaze. “You’re such a brat sometimes.” Kohri merely laughed and pressed an apologetic kiss to Emet’s jaw, which he seemed to accept… for now. “Does this mean the Warrior of Light is going to be taking a lazy day today?” His fingers skated along his back, tracing his spine where he could and sent shivers down it.

“So long as the Ascian decides to stay with me,” he replied and pressed a kiss against Emet’s forehead, careful of his third eye. With that, he flumped onto his side and instantly Emet curled against him and planted a deep, soft kiss against his lips.

“Of course,” Emet responded with a small smile, his golden eyes glittering in the dim sunlight.

“Of course.” And Kohri wouldn’t have it any other way.


	2. 002 - Face Flat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Emet-Selch is trying to impress Kohri and ends up falling flat on their face. As Emet-Selch lays on the ground slowly dying from embarrassment, Kohri has a mind blowing realization that they actually really like Emet-Selch and when they help Emet-Selch up off the ground, they pull them into a kiss.

“So _this_ is where you found that artifact for me…” Y’shtola mused to herself now that they were out of that musty temple. “Again, I cannot help but think that it was much too convenient for you to _happen_ to find a relic that would just _happen_ to help us in Rak’tika… Not to say that I’m not thankful for it.” She sighed, not liking that she and the rest of the Scions were finding themselves more and more indebted to the mysterious Crystal Exarch. “Tell me, Kohri. What do you think of our enigmatic, crystalline friend?”

Now that they were alone, she could pick his brain. It was difficult to have conversations of this nature in front of the others, who all seemed to wholeheartedly trust the Exarch. Urianger in particular knew more than he was letting on, this Y’shtola knew, but he was so far tight-lipped and as obfuscating as ever. Kohri too seemed to trust the Exarch, what with him being a tender-hearted individual, but the way that he mulled over her question made Y’shtola suspect that a seed of doubt had been planted.

“I’m not sure anymore,'' was Kohri’s tentative answer. The Exarch had been nothing but accommodating to them all ever since they arrived in the First and even tried multiple times to extend a hand of friendship to Y’shtola but… She was right. There were definitely things that he was hiding from them and a relationship built without trust or blind, one-sided trust was one that could pose a problem in the future. “He’s very kind, and I’ve seen the people of the Crystarium rally around him in a way that no cruel leader could ever have their people do… But you bring up valid points. He’s hiding too much from us and for that, we should be a little more careful.”

Y’shtola’s suspicions were definitely something to take into consideration. The tablet on Ronkan traditions was far too convenient to be found in such a dilapidated place. The temple looked as though it had been cleared out years ago and now served as a storage room for what meager supplies Fort Jobb managed to accumulate. If any of the soldiers did a half-decent job scouring the temple, they would’ve found that tablet years ago and yet there it was, seemingly untouched by mortal hands.

“Well, we’re too ensnared in the affairs of Norvrandt to turn away now. All we can do is keep moving forward.” Y’shtola shook her head before she smiled up at him. “Thank you, Kohri. I appreciate you bringing me here. And I appreciate you speaking candidly about the Exarch. Shall we return to the others?” With a nod, the two of them turned to return to the Crystarium before Y’shtola stopped in her tracks. “Or… You know what? _I’ll_ return to the Crystarium. I believe there’s someone who wants to talk to you.” She gave him an enigmatic smile. “Take care now.” With a playful flick of her ears, Y’shtola turned heel and began her trek back alone.

Someone who wanted to talk to him? Kohri scanned his immediate area with his eyes and ears open. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary but Y’shtola wasn’t one for idle jests. Just as he was about to give up, he heard an unfamiliar voice call him from a distance. A soldier posted at Fort Jobb jogged towards him, waving him down eagerly. Ah, maybe _that’s_ who wanted to talk to him; his work was never done. Regardless, his lips turned up into a smile as he turned heel and began to walk towards the soldier when he heard a sudden and dull _thud_ behind him. Both he and the soldier were startled, Kohri whipping around to find Emet-Selch splayed out on the ground.

“Errr…” There was an awkward silence between the three of them. The wind rustled through the trees. Birds chirped. Emet-Selch groaned weakly.

“Are you alright?” Kohri asked, still not over the initial shock of what had just transpired. _Oh_ , he suddenly realized, this _must be who Y’shtola was talking about…_ How awkward. He took a few steps towards the fallen Ascian, who merely raised a finger without raising his head.

“Just go.” Emet-Selch ordered with the authority that befitted the first emperor of Garlemald but delivered with the grace of a court jester. Kohri and the soldier exchanged awkward glances, unsure if they should follow his command, or help, or…

“R-Right,” the soldier stuttered awkwardly before they firmly saluted him in Crystarium fashion. “We heard that you were in Fort Jobb and we were hoping you could assist. It pains us to have to ask the hero of Holminster Switch to help us with such menial tasks but…”

Kohri shook his head with a cheery smile, “It’s alright. I’d be happy to assist.” He then turned to Emet, who had yet to move an ilm since he landed on the ground. “Will you be okay?”

“I _said_ ‘go’,” Emet insisted. Kohri and the soldier exchanged another quizzical glance before he shrugged and followed after them to help attend to their tasks. Damn it all! He was in position and everything! How could it be that the fates deigned Kohri to move a few fulms forward and completely ruin _everything_!? Even his friend seemingly kept him in place and set everything up for him to spring into action and surprise Kohri.

What was even more embarrassing was that he hadn’t done something this childish in _eons_. He couldn’t think of the last time he climbed a tree to jump down and scare his friends so to think that his first (and only) attempt ended in abject failure was one of the myriad of reasons as to why he would never attempt such a foolish thing ever again.

Maybe… Maybe if he laid here long enough, Zodiark would be merciful enough to end his pitiful existence. Yes, even though he was still sundered, surely he was reformed just enough to completely _end_ him, right? Sure, Emet had the option of merely picking himself up and carrying on as though nothing happened, which was what he would have normally done, but something about this excruciatingly embarrassing accident made Emet want to curl up into a ball and hide away from the rest of the world. The _only_ silver lining to all this was that Kohri didn’t laugh at his clumsy mistake. Had he done so, Emet didn’t know if he would ever have the strength to face his rejoined loved ones again.

Who knows how much time passed since his miserable debacle but it was long enough for Kohri to complete whatever tasks the soldiers of Fort Jobb had for him and return to find Emet in the exact same position as he left him. Did he… Did he _die_? Was it possible for an Ascian to hold a physical form when said form expired? Kohri thought that Emet was being dramatic at first, which he was wont to do from time to time, but now that he was still here there was cause for concern.

“Emet? Are you still alive?” Kohri asked as he squatted down next to the Ascian and gave the back of his head a light poke or two.

“No…” Emet groaned in response. Kohri rolled his eyes with an exasperated smile; he was going to be okay. He sat down in the grass and rolled Emet over before he pulled him into his arms, cradling him like he would a baby. 

Is _this_ what the heavens looked like? The sun shone bright overhead but the boughs of the peculiar trees overhead shaded his eyes from its harsh light. Kohri brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes before he pulled him into a kiss - soft, slow, and sweet. Emet relaxed into Kohri’s arms and wrapped his around his neck, fingers threading through his feathery hair.

If this was the afterlife that Lord Zodiark bequeathed him, Emet could definitely get used to this.

However, he was dropped straight back into reality when Kohri pulled away with a shite-eating grin. “You taste like dirt,” he told him impishly. Emet’s lips curled inward, displeased with his teasing. “What in Hydaelyn’s name were you doing?” He asked before he ran a finger down Emet’s third eye with a frown. “It’s cracked.”

Emet waved his finger away with a huff. “That’s nothing.” Running his own finger down it, he sealed it back up with ease. “Honestly in this body, it’s just for aesthetic,” he admitted with a nonchalant shrug. The embarrassment slowly wore away and he merely tried to enjoy the moment for what it was. “So did I scare you?”

“You did,” Kohri admitted as he picked a leaf out of his hair. “Scared right out of my boots, I was.” Considering that his shite-eating grin returned, Emet wasn’t sure if he was just yanking his chain but he took it for what it was and refused to push the question further. More silence passed between them. The leaves rustled. Birds flapped their wings. There was the sound of workers laughing in the distance.

And then Emet realized that there was a look of tranquility on Kohri’s face, as he looked out at the Lakeland scenery. There was an alien beauty to this place, with its strange flora and fauna. Things were tranquil and all their problems seemed so far away. Kohri held him just a little bit tighter before he turned that soft look downwards towards Emet. 

With his walls lowered, his exhaustion was more prominent. No doubt the light aether that churned within him wore him down, and the constant fight to remain in control tired him, and yet there was a softness that persisted. Fates had been cruel to him and yet he had the strength to smile at him, a vaunted enemy. A beloved friend. Emet was stunned into silence, his own golden eyes reflecting that same softness unknowingly. Slowly, he reached up to caress Kohri’s cheek, who simply nuzzled into his gloved hand.

“You really are something, Emet-Selch,” Kohri finally murmured into his hand, his smile sly and enigmatic, before he pressed a kiss into his palm. As an agent of chaos, Emet-Selch brought surprise after surprise to the table, but thus far it only made his heart melt and yearn for the crazy Ascian. He shut his eyes and held Emet’s hand to his cheek, soaking in this peaceful instant. If only this moment could last forever...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanna thank everyone who took the time to read this fic and either left me a kudo or a nice comment :3 I really appreciate you all <3

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a little self-indulgent project to encourage me to write and publish more works in the new year. I hope you enjoy this ride with me! :D


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